Heartburn & Indigestion

What to do when you get severe heartburn or indigestion: John came to my clinic recently to discuss his heartburn. Medically this is known as gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. It's when acid from the stomach ‘refluxes’ up the oesophagus and causes symptoms. John was finding his symptoms of burning in the lower chest were made worse after: Eating a large meal, Drinking lots of tea or coffee At night when lying down in bed Some patients occasionally taste acid at the back of their throats especially when bending over. Like many patients, John had been to his GP to discuss the issue and been put on ‘proton pump inhibitors or PPI's. These are medications like omeprazole or lansoprazole which block the ‘acid or proton pump’ in the stomach so the stomach reduces its acid production. John had been on this medication for many years and wanted to discuss a more permanent solution to his problem with [...]